Holden Forest & Gardens is seeding Ohio's forested future through the Holden Seed Bank at the Holden Arboretum, which will soon celebrate its first anniversary. In this episode, we speak with Seed Bank Manager Kim Lessman about how this "restoration" seed bank works, how she became its manager, and how her work forms the core of new climate-fighting reforestation efforts across the region by eliminating a bottleneck in local tree planting efforts - the need for seeds. The Holden Seed Bank collects and processes seeds from native "workhorse" tree species like hickories, oaks, and hemlocks, which local nurseries grow into seedlings to support regional restoration projects and tree planting efforts. The work of the Holden Seed Bank is helping build resilient, biodiverse forests that can face our changing climate by providing thousands and thousands of seeds of local ecotype collected in our region. A Celebration of Seeds event will be held on August 8 at the Cleveland Botanical Garden and feature panelists from Holden Seed Bank, Cleveland Metroparks, the Pollinator Project, and Wild Ones Greater Cleveland to celebrate its one-year anniversary. Join us for all the tree-loving details.

Guest:
Kimberly Lessman, Manager, Holden Restoration Seed Bank - klessman@holdenfg.org

Resources:
About Holden Forest & Gardens
About the Holden Seed Bank
Celebration of Seeds - August 8 at the Cleveland Botanical Garden
Visit the Cleveland Botanical Garden and the Holden Arboretum

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In this episode, we share the recording from our recent May networking event at Great Lakes Brewing Company. This event featured a discussion about greenspace with three local leaders working on expanding greenspace in our urban core and increasing access and opportunities to experience nature through outdoor recreation, especially for our historically underserved communities. Our three speakers from Cleveland Metroparks, the local nonprofit SYATT, and the Trust for Public Land speak about improving our community and environmental health by creating more access to greenspace and the collaborations that amplify their work.

At 2:18 our first speaker is Kaela Geschke, the Ohio Parks for People Program Director for the Trust for Public Land. Kell speaks about some of the projects she is working on in our region to create and protect nature-rich places and the importance of that work to the health of our community.

At 14:18, our second speaker is Kelly Coffman, a principal planner with Cleveland Metroparks. Kelly speaks about the strategic planning effort to create greenways connecting our inner city areas with our lake and other parks to increase park access. Kelly also shares the latest details on the CHEERS project, which will transform Cleveland's east side Lake Erie waterfront.

At 27:30, our third speaker is Erika Hood, the Co-Founder and Director of Equity and Engagement for SYATT (See You At The Top). This local organization provides opportunities for Black and Brown communities to explore nature and outdoor recreation. Erika shares stories about the ski and scuba outings, camping trips, and other outdoor experiences she organizes for people in Cleveland's black community and how these shared experiences are so impactful.

Speakers:
• Kelly Coffman, Principal Planner with Cleveland Metroparks.
• Kaela Geschke, Ohio Parks for People Program Director for the Trust for Public Land.
• Erika Hood, Co-Founder and Director of Equity and Engagement for SYATT

Resources:
Cuyahoga County Greenways Plan
Cleveland Metroparks active Planning & Design projects

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In this episode, Sunny Simon, President of The Cleveland Vegan Society, joins us to talk about veganism and VegFest 2024, coming to Cleveland's Huntington Convention Center on Saturday, June 22. It's the largest Vegan festival in the Midwest, and it will be delicious, fun, and informative for vegans and non-vegans alike. The Cleveland Vegan Society created VegFest over 12 years ago to celebrate veganism and to encourage more plant-based eating. This year's festival features an impressive lineup of activities, speakers, cooking demos, a cruelty-free marketplace, a kids' activity area, yoga, and more.

Join us as Sunny shares about becoming a vegetarian and then a vegan thirty years ago and the environmental and humane reasons she advocates for the vegan lifestyle. She also clears up some misconceptions about vegans and offers tips for transitioning to a more plant-based diet. Everyone is welcome at VegFest, where over 13,000 people will gather to eat, have fun, and learn from speakers, including Sarina Farb, Christopher "Soul" Eubanks, Will Brooks, Dr. Keary O'Connor, and Gwenna Hunter. Cooking demos include chefs Chad Goodwin, Sonia Steele, and Anna Marie Harouvis. Whatever your dietary preferences, there will be something to satisfy everyone's tastes.

Guest :
Sunny Simon, President of the Cleveland Vegan Society and Cuyahoga County Council member

Resources:
Film - Peaceable Kingdom
The Cleveland Vegan Society
VegFest 2024
Top Vegan TV show
Bitchy Vegan Homo (vegan recipes)

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